All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present subject matter. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed subject matter, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The harp is a stringed musical instrument consisting of a rigid, triangular frame within which are stretched a set of substantially parallel strings. The strings run between the top, or neck, of the harp, to the resonator/soundboard. The neck and soundboard are joined together, with the strings set at an oblique angle to the soundboard. (By contrast, in other harp-like instruments such as the lyre and zither, the strings run parallel to the soundboard). Ancient and primitive harps lacked the third rigid member of contemporary frame harps, termed the pillar or column, which extends from the neck down to the lower end of the soundboard. The strong structure provided by the column allows for increased string tension that produces notes of a higher pitch than was possible with early harps. The instrument is generally placed on the floor in front of the harpist and played by tilting it back so that the instrument rests against the harpist's shoulder and plucking the strings from either or both sides with the fingers of the hand(s). Alternatively, the instrument may be placed on the lap of the harpist and played in a like fashion.
The modern concert harp stands approximately 170 cm high (5.5 ft) and has the largest phonetic range of any instrument in an orchestra: more than 6 ½ octaves (from the lowest C on the piano to the highest G). Its structure consists of a tapering, hollow body covered with a thin wooden plank (the “soundboard”), a doubly curved neck that carries a set of tuning pins, and a straight column. At the base of the modern concert harp are seven pedals, one for each degree of the diatonic scale. These pedals, mechanically connected through the pillar to two rows of rotating pronged discs placed under all of the strings for each degree of the scale either a semitone (pedal at half hitch activating discs in the first row) or a whole tone (pedal fully depressed activating discs in the second row). Thus the instrument is totally chromatic (a sequence of notes proceeding by semitones). The harp is strung in gut or nylon in the upper and middle registers. The bass strings are generally of over-spun wire.
The chromatic flexibility offered by the concert harp, along with a growing desire for orchestral color, makes the harp increasingly appealing to musicians and composers. Historically, the instrument has enjoyed being a regular member of the orchestra of Berlioz, Wagner, and Tchaikovsky. However, the overgrown size, weight and cost associated with modern day concert harp renders the instrument inaccessible to a majority of would-be harpists, composers and musicians.
In operation, the harp is played by plucking the strings with the pad of the fingers to make a warm, mellow tone, or to use the tip of the fingers creating a sharper sound. Harp players use all of the fingers except for the little finger, which is generally too short and weak to effectively pluck a string. Most types of harps only require use of the hands, with the exception of the concert harp, in which the feet are also used to operate foot pedals. The plucking of strings create resonance which excites air molecules, creating sound. The soundboard enhances the volume and tone of the sound created by plucking the strings, and enables the instrument to amplify and produce a clean, focused, natural sound.
Sound is amplified by resonating through the soundboard and is presented to the listening audience through sound holes found on the backside of the harp instrument. The sound holes are found on the backside of the harp instrument by necessity, as the front of the soundboard captures the strings. As the harpist is also positioned on the backside of the harp instrument, sound presented through the sound holes may be diffracted and compressed by the harpist before reaching the intended audience. This diffraction may compromise the intensity and purity of sound presented, creating a compromised auditory experience.
Furthermore, present stringed instrument designs suffer from design flaws. Existing stringed instruments attach the column at the bottom of the soundboard closest to the bass strings. In the case of a harp, the column is attached to the soundboard by a large wood screw or bolt that passes through the column and soundboard. Variations in design have eliminated this wood screw or the use of a bolt at this point, but as a general matter, the resistance to the tension of the strings on the board remains concentrated in one small area at the bottom of the soundboard. This area is referred to as the “yoke” and is one of the most troublesome parts of a harp. Other than creating a point of design weakness, the attachment of the column near the bass strings compromises the quality of sound and reduces resonance, leading many instrument players to resist using the very lowest strings. Accordingly, the amount of resonance created by the soundboard near the column is restricted and so stiff that it can only produce about a quarter of the response found at other positions along the soundboard.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for a stringed instrument capable of delivering clean, sharp notes with reduced incidents of diffraction. In addition, there is a need in the art for an economical, quality stringed instrument capable of producing a wide spectrum of chromatic sound, that is smaller and more accessible than the modern day concert harp. Finally, there is need in the art to produce a soundboard for a stringed instrument, wherein minimal deviance of resonance is accomplished throughout the length of the soundboard.